Desk-drawer file



F. L. G. STRAUBEL.

Patented Aug. 17, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

.a nm 8 VJ e r F. L. G. STRAUBEL.

DESK DRAWER FILE.

APPLICATloN FILED N0v.29. 191s.

1,350,186, mama Aug. 17,1920.

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UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE.

.DESK-DRAWER FILE.'

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 17, 1920.

Application led November 29,1918. Serial No. 264,493).v y

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK L. G. STRAUBEL, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Green Bay,in lthe county of Brown and @tate ofWisconsin, have invented certain new and usefull Improvements in Desk-Drawer F iles; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact de scription of the invention, such as willenableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

My invention relates to compartmental containers of the general classsometimes called stationery racks and aims to provide convenient landotherwise advantageous methods for sorting and separating correyspondence or other papers, stationery, pamphlets or the like. In some of-its general aspects, my invention aims t'o provide compartmentsnormally inclined in position, but

Aadapted to be,swung to vertical or other conveniently accessiblepositions when dev sired, to provide simple means for mounting andspacing such compartments, and simple means for limiting the movementsof the compartments in'both directions.

In one of its more particular aspects, my invention aims to provide adrawer or other container with pivoted partitions adapted to space paperor other objects, to equip each partition with a bottom for limiting thedownward movement of the material disposed between two vsuccessivepartitions and with a ledge for limiting the movement of the lowerportions of such material from one partition toward the next; to providemeans for continuously spacing the upper ends of the partitions so as topermit any yone thereof to be readily grasped and also to continuouslyexpose edge portions of the papers associated with each partition toView; to provide simple means for supporting the partitions normally ininclined positions in which they require less headroom than the heightof the drawer orl other container; to provide simple means for vpivotingthese partitioning or subdividing members, and to provide simple meansfor limiting the movement of these members in a direction away fromtheir said normal inclined positions.

In a still more particular aspect, my `invention aims to provide acompartmental insert for a drawer or other container, which will providepivoted pockets for holding the separated batches of papers or the likeand which will permit ofthe convenient and advantageous manipulation ofthese pivoted pockets. Further objects of myinvention will appear fromthe following specification and from the accompanying drawings in`which- Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view showing the mounting of one of thepivoted pocket members of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of one of the angle pieces whichafford theI pivots for a pocket member of Fig. "1.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the compartmental insert of the drawerof Fig. l, showing the same in use.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of the lower end of a pocketmember .in which the pivot element is formed integral with the pocket.

Fig. 7 isa fragmentary vertical section, similar to a portion of Fig. l,but showing one of the pivoted pocket members swung to its extremerearward position.

In the embodimentv of the drawings, the appliance of my inventioncomprises a compartmental insert for the drawer of a desk or cabinet,which insert 'is shown in Fig. 5. as it might appear when in use. Thisinsert includes a sup orting frame comprising a pair of angle-s apedsides l rigidly secured to a front 2 and also to a series of transversepartitions 3, 4 and 5 successively spaced from the front 2. On thesepartitions I equip the side members l with suitable means for pivotingother partitions, as by usingA strips 6 secured flatwise to the sidememf bers l near the bottom of the latter and having their lowerportions offset (as shown in Fig. 3) so as. to space them some what fromthe sides l. The offset portions of the two strips 6 securedrespectively to the opposite sides l have oppositely disposedperforations affording pivotal bearings for lugs 7 secured to the lowerends of movable compartment members. partment members desirably consistsof a substantially inexible sheet bentv twice upon itself at its lowerend so as to afford a relatively short ledge 9 extending parallel Eachof the comp handling the papers.

to the main portion 8 of the sheet and connected to the latter b abottom portion 10. Thus formed, each o these sheets affords a pocketfor. receiving letters, catalogues orother inserted matter, which matteris prevented by the bottom portion 10 of each compartment from reachingthe bottom of the appliance .or of the drawer housing the latter. Thusav batch of 'letters 11 may rest in the forward compartment as shown inFig. l, and by suitably shortening the more rearward vertical partitions4 and 5, the main portion 8 of the most forward one of the pivotedcompartments may normally rest in an inclined position, supported by theupper ed e of one of the said vertical .partitions. -T en the mainportion of the next compartment may rest upon the ledge 9 of thecompartment in advance of the same, and likewise each succeeding pivotedcompartment will thus be limited in its downward swinging in onedirectionfby engagement with the ledge portion on -the next compartment,To: make this support all the more firm, I desirably proportion thelspacing between the pivoting perforations in the strips 6 so'that themain portion of one compartment will 'rest flatwise upon the ledge 9 of-the adjacent compartment, a shown in Fig. 1. 1

With ythe parts Athus arranged, it will be obvious from the drawings,that on releasing the pivoted compartments of Fig. 5, these will allswing by gravity into their normal positions of Fig. 1, thus enablingthe rack or drawer-insert with its contents to be set bodily intoaldrawer 12 of aheight considerably less than that of the main portions8 of the pivoted compartment or pocket members. Then, on partially oening the drawer, the contents of each of t ese pockets will' beaccessible without moving these pockets. However, if particular papersare to be selected from any particu- .l ylar pocket, or arebeing'inspected without removing the same from the pocket, any one ofthe pivoted compartments may readily be swung about its pivots as shownin Fig. 5, thus affording a better view of its contents and also afordinample room for owever, on releasing the hand shown in Fig. 5, all of thecompartments which had been raised by the lat'- ter will automatically.-fall back into their normal positions, so as not to interfere with thespeedy closing of the drawer.

While .various materials may be used forl the pocket members and whilethe pivoting lugs or extensions on the latter ma be constructed invarious ways, I desira ly form each pocket member proper outhof a sheetof/metal slightly narrower in width than the space between the offsetportions of the strips 6. Then the lugs 7 mayconsist simply ofthin metalangle-pieces spot-welded to the juncture of the main side 8 of thepocket with the bottom 10 of the latter and will beobvious that bysuitably proportioning the parts, the projecting lug will only bear onthe bore of the adjacent perforation along three lines, thus reducingthe friction and making it easy to swing the pocket of my appliance backand forth.

To prevent the contents of the pockets from being tipped out of thelatter, I desirably place the pivoting perforations cl e to the bottomof the appliance'and dev rrably bend the bottom10 at such an anglewiththe main portion8 that the juncture of the bottom 10 with thev ledge 9will strike the horizontal ledges 14 or other bottom portions of theappliance when the main portion 8 is approximately vertical. In otherwords, I cause the bottom of each pocket to limit the swinging of thepocket in its yupward direction. I also desirably notch the upper end ofeach of the main portions 8 as shown in the drawings, so as to make iteasier for the user to grasp the contentsx of the pocket. IHowever,while I have illustrated and described the appliance of my invention asincludingcangleshaped side rails 1 and as having the most forward pocketnormally supported by a rigid vertical partition, I do not wish'to b ethe bottoms being at an obtuse angle to the fronts so that` the .pointsof juncture between the backs and bottom will project below the pivotsand afford stops to engage the drawer bottom tolimit rearward swingingof the partitions.

2. In a filing drawer, a rigid transverse partition'arranged near butspaced from the front ofthe drawer and of considerably less height thanthe depth of the drawer, independent side members secured along theirlupper longitudinal portions to the respective drawer" sides and havingtheir lower longitudinal portions bent outwardly to lie spaced from thesaid drawer sides and to have free movement toward and away therefrom,said lower portions of` the side mem-` bers having apertures, andpartition members have pivots arranged in said apertures, the partitionnext to said rigid partition having its front engaged thereby at pointsbetween the top and bottom of the front so that the top of the frontextends over the rigid partition and below the effective top of thedrawer.

3. In a filing drawer, independent side members secured along theirupper longitudinal portions to the respective drawer sides and havingtheir lower longitudinal portions bent outwardly to lie spaced from thesaid drawer sides and to have free movement toward and away therefrom,said lower portions of the side members having apertures, and partitionshaving pivots engaged in said apertures and disengageable therefrom bymovement of the lower portions of the side members about the bentportions of the latter.

4. In a ling drawer, independent side members each consisting of a metalstrip offset between its top and bottom and lengthwise thereof, the partabove the offset being rigidly attached to the drawer side and the partbelow the offset being perforated and spaced from the drawer side andfree to move toward and away therefrom, and partitions having pivotsengaged in the perforations.

Signed at Green Bay, Wisconsin, November 22nd, 1918.

FREDERICK L. STRAUBEL.

